The groundwork has been laid for x-ray holography of biological specimens by producing holograms of small specimens and by optimizing the arrangement of source and specimen. Contact x-ray microscopy of air-dried platelets and platelet subcellular components continues to document unusual patterns of photon absorbance which do not correlate well with electron scattering power. In particular, thrombin-stimulated platelets have a small, very dense core from which all pseudopods radiate. Hydrated (living) platelets have also been imaged utilizing flash x-ray microscopy, and appear to possess several features, (e.g., pseudopod-associated granules) not seen in air-dried cells. Synchrotron radiation tuned monochromatically has been used to examine the elemental composition of platelets and bacteria. In Corynebacterium, calcium-rich structures lie adjacent to the bacterial cytoskeleton, and in platelets the cytoskeleton appears to be rich in oxygen and phosphorous.